Notes on And Then There Were None Themes

And Then There Were None Topic Tracking: Guilt and Responsibility

Chapter 1

Guilt and Responsibility 1: Vera and Macarthur show obvious outward signs of understanding their guilt. Vera is uncomfortable going back to the sea, because it is a reminder of her crime. Macarthur is happy for any excuse to leave the city because he's sure everyone suspects his guilt.

Chapter 2

Guilt and Responsibility 2: Vera tries to convince herself over and over again that she can put the past behind her, but she's unable to. Every time she looks at the sea, she can't help but think of the little Hamilton boy drowning.

Chapter 3

Guilt and Responsibility 3: Vera has been so torn apart by her own guilt that she can't hear the sound of water striking against rocks without being reminded of her crime.

Guilt and Responsibility 4: Mrs. Rogers has become a timid, scared individual because of her guilt. Her tension is so bad that when she's accused of the crime, she faints.

Chapter 4

Guilt and Responsibility 5: Now that everyone is accused, the lines are drawn between who feels guilty and who doesn't. Lombard and Marston freely admit to what they've done, and they're the only ones who don't feel guilty about it. Both not only admit to their crimes, but feel that there's nothing wrong with the actions they've taken.

Chapter 5

Guilt and Responsibility 6: Although they deny their crimes in public, both Macarthur and Vera are deeply troubled by the murders they've committed. They're similar, in that both committed the crime for love, or so they thought - in both cases their crime ended up taking the very thing they wanted away from them. Macarthur finally decides to accept his fate - he's not going to leave the Island alive.

Chapter 7

Guilt and Responsibility 7: Emily claims that she has no responsibility for her servant girl's death. She believes that any actions she took were properly motivated by her faith, just like she also believes that it's possible that God struck down Marston and Mrs. Rogers.

Chapter 8

Guilt and Responsibility 8: Macarthur is finally able to admit to another person that he's guilty - and finally able to admit it to himself. Unburdened, he's ready to die, and advises everyone else to do the same.

Guilt and Responsibility 9: Vera begins projecting her own guilt onto other people. Knowing that she's guilty, she assumes that everyone else is too - and starts looking at everyone and seeing their victims.

Chapter 10

Guilt and Responsibility 10: Despite her claims that she bears no responsibility for the incident with her servant girl, Emily's subconscious guilt has been driving her mad, leading to the automatic writing incident.

Chapter 11

Guilt and Responsibility 11: Both Emily and Vera are mentally crippled by their guilt, slowly being driven mad.

Chapter 13

Guilt and Responsibility 12: Vera's mind has started to go - for a second she believes that the seaweed on her shoulder is actually Cyril's hand.

Chapter 14

Guilt and Responsibility 13:Vera finally admits to herself that she murdered Cyril. Not just simple murder, though, she had a carefully planned plot to remove suspicion from herself.

Guilt and Responsibility 14: Blore had always been an amoral man, but with his own mortality hanging over his head, Blore begins to have regrets. He thinks about the family of the man he murdered, and wonders, for the first time, what happened to them.

Chapter 15

Guilt and Responsibility 15: Vera has accepted her guilt. Now she believes it's possible that she's receiving divine retribution for her murder.

Chapter 16

Guilt and Responsibility 16: Vera has finally been driven mad by her sense of guilt. Left alone on the Island, she kills herself, knowing she deserves the punishment.

Manuscript

Guilt and Responsibility 17: Wargrave tried, as best he could, to kill people based on how guilty they were of the crimes they committed. It didn't work out entirely that way, but it was close enough to satisfy his desires.